Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 320 Feast for the Dead

“Li Huaishan used to be a member of the Thirteen Ministries, but I’ve never heard of that.”

Zhou Zhao was somewhat curious. From the moment she discovered that her godfather was Li Huaishan to her swift action and now, only a few days had passed.

She hadn't even had a chance to investigate Li Huaishan's past.

The Thirteen Offices were officials under the Prime Minister's Office, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were another kind of "close advisors to the emperor."

In the Great Qi Dynasty, from His Majesty down, there are the Three Dukes and the Nine Ministers. The Three Dukes are the Chancellor, the Grand Commandant, and the Grand Censor.

Previously in Tianying City, Zhao Yizhou, the official from Dai who colluded with Zhou Zhao from within, was the heir of the Marquis of Huaiyang and a protégé of the Prime Minister. He was gaining experience in the provinces, and it is unknown whether he has returned to Chang'an and joined the Thirteen Ministries.

The Grand Commandant holds military power. Zhou Zhao had encountered Huo Ting, a spoiled young master, several times during his investigations. Huo Ting was the nephew of the Grand Commandant.

Then there are the Nine Ministers: the Minister of Justice, the Minister of the Imperial Household, the Minister of the Imperial Guard, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, and so on—a total of nine high-ranking and powerful ministers.

He Tingshi nodded. "He entered Chang'an under this pretext. Before he could officially take office, he was parachuted in because there was a vacancy in the Court of Justice. After he arrived, the Court of Justice was purged. Of your father's lineage, only Xu Yun, that firecracker, remained."

Xu Yun had a fiery temper and was not a capable person. He could only serve as a court clerk, and it would be extremely difficult for him to rise further.

The Zhou family was a prominent family of court officials with many protégés; to eradicate them completely would be too blatant. Although a new emperor brings a new court, the law is ultimately a matter of personal authority, and not everyone is qualified for the position of court official. No matter how you try to circumvent the Zhou family, you can't get around them.

As He Tingshi spoke, he looked around and lowered his voice, "Do you know who will succeed him as Minister of Justice? Is there any possibility that your father might take over?"

Zhou Zhao noticed and tried to blink.

However, his eyes were already reduced to slits, and he couldn't even tell if they were open or closed, so blinking didn't help.

"I don't know, you should ask Zhou Cheng'an."

Zhou Zhao honestly shook his head.

He Tingshi snorted in dissatisfaction and distanced himself from Zhou Zhao. "Have you been using your brain entirely for investigating cases? As far as I know, neither Chang Zuoping nor Guan Youping has been promoted. They usually follow Li Huaishan around, yet they didn't even realize he was a remnant of the previous dynasty."

This shows how blind they are. Although they won't be reprimanded, they certainly won't be promoted.

I reckon His Majesty will appoint someone directly from the sidelines. Chen Yuzhao's uncle, Chen Ziyi, your father, and Marquis of Huaiyang, Zhao Xiao, are the three most likely candidates.

Chen Yuzhao also came from a family of legal scholars. He was an old friend of Zhou Yan and had taken the imperial examination for the Court of Justice with Zhou Zhao. After entering the Court of Justice, he became a student of Tao Shangshan.

As He Tingshi spoke, he secretly glanced at Zhou Zhao.

It's a pity the girl is too young. If she were thirty this year, it wouldn't be impossible for her to be promoted to Minister of Justice.

Thinking this, he remembered Zhou Zhao's hard-won achievements, and cleared his throat. "Abolishing corporal punishment is out of the question. It might make the new court official think you're a troublemaker..."

Zhou Zhao felt a warmth in her heart. At the Court of Justice, she first met Li Youdao, who indulged her in every way, and then she met He Tingshi, who was like a guiding light. She was truly lucky.

"If you're worried about me, just say so."

He Tingshi immediately bristled, "Who's worried about you? I'm worried about being mistreated in my old age, not about you!"

Zhou Zhao chuckled, "Old He, I'm still young. As for credit, I can easily claim it! Besides, that's not your wish, it's my own idea. I'm a serious official, and I have my own political views and my own principles."

It wasn't entirely for your sake. As the saying goes, those in positions of power should fulfill their responsibilities; reform is simply something that should be done.

She had always thought this way, but now she had added a selfish motive. Regardless of who the murderer was, since he was there to seize the throne, he must be someone of high rank and power.

She didn't want the man to be caught and then exploit loopholes in the law to save his life through corporal punishment instead of the death penalty, or by being demoted or fined.

She wanted an eye for an eye.

Not only will they pay with their lives, but she will also make those people suffer a great loss, so that even on their way to the underworld, they will regret killing Zhou Yan that day.

As Zhou Zhao thought about it, she winked at He Tingshi, looking exceptionally well-behaved.

He Tingshi opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything to dissuade him for a long time. He stood up and paced around the room, holding the two cold eggs and rolling them back and forth on his eyelids. Finally, he said, "Speaking of which, I do have a case that is quite suitable."

Zhou Zhao immediately perked up, "What case?"

He Tingshi stopped in his tracks, rummaged through his desk, pulled out a scroll of bamboo slips, and handed it to Zhou Zhao.

“I have always wanted to abolish corporal punishment. It is far too cruel to people. Although strict laws can deter evildoers, but... Over the years, I have compiled a lot of files on this subject. After we reached an agreement last time, I secretly went to find a few people who had been subjected to corporal punishment.”

Guess what happened? I searched for ten people, and three of them had disappeared without a trace recently—all within the last ten days. Large pools of blood were found near each victim's home, but no bodies were discovered.

Unfortunately, I arrived too late; the bloodstains had already been washed away by the local people.

I asked them, and they assumed someone was slaughtering pigs and sheep there, and didn't think much of it.

If the people don't promote it, the officials won't investigate it.

In the vast city of Chang'an, unless someone reported it to the authorities or happened to be caught by the patrolling Northern Army, who would know what terrible things were happening in the shadows?

"I sensed something was wrong, so I sent people to keep an eye on two other well-known people in Chang'an who had suffered corporal punishment. Then, on the night you faked your death and captured Li Huaishan, I received news from my subordinates that they had discovered a new pool of blood."

The person I asked them to keep an eye on has disappeared.

He Tingshi spoke with a grave expression, "This time I saw the scene. There was a large pool of blood. And there was splattered blood on the wall. Judging from the amount of blood, most likely, eight or nine people had been killed. The three who went missing earlier were very likely also killed."

"No..." He Tingshi shook his head, "It's not just those three; there might be others besides those I'm tracking. I suspect someone is hunting them down."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhao also straightened his expression.

"No body, no murderer, no murder weapon, no witnesses, just a pool of blood. This case is not easy."

……

In a corner of Chang'an City.

A man with his legs crossed picked up a wine cup, raised it to the guests below, and said, "Welcome to my birthday banquet!"

It was a banquet, yet it was eerily silent.

Below him, every table was filled with guests.

They were dressed in fine clothes and knelt at the table, each with fine wine and delicacies in front of them. If you listened carefully, you would not hear a single person breathing.

They're all dead.